


A Friend in Need (Because of You)

by Nonesane



Category: Ookami to Koushinryo | Spice and Wolf
Genre: Contracts, Flowers, Gen, Slice of Life, Yuletide 2011
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-12-22
Updated: 2011-12-22
Packaged: 2017-10-27 20:35:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,422
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/299794
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nonesane/pseuds/Nonesane
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lawrence runs into an old friend he might have wronged more than he knows. Thankfully, Holo has a plan.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Friend in Need (Because of You)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Ailelie](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ailelie/gifts).



The rain had been falling for three days straight with no inn in sight. Holo had been glaring at everything for the better part of said days and Lawrence hadn't been doing much better. Sleeping in a soaked cart that smelled of sheep would put anyone in a bad mood.

So it wasn't much of a hyperbole to say that being held up at the town gate for half an hour, was driving the both of them over the edge.

"What's taking so long?" Holo said, seemingly to no one in particular. She pulled her cloak tighter around herself, only to make a face as the dripping wet fabric brushed against the back of her neck.

In answer, Lawrence merely gave a one shoulder shrug.

"You said you've been here before." Holo frowned and gave him a narrow-eyed look. "Haven't you gone through this silly procedure once already? You should know how to hurry it up."

"Haven't been by this way for a couple of years," Lawrence said, twisting the end of one of his sleeves in a futile effort to get some of the water out of it. "They must have tightened security for some reason."

Holo opened her mouth to make another comment, but was cut short by a third voice entering the conversation: "You mean you don't know?"

They both turned around and spotted a young man, dressed in a way that would have allowed him to blend into any market crowd, standing right behind their cart. Interestingly enough, he wore a medallion identical to the ones the guards had around their necks. "It's all because of the Duke."

This explanation got him a pair of blank stares and little else. He sighed. "Duke Cayden Plaskett of Sadreche, leader of this here town since three years and a man very fond of keeping an eye on all of his subjects, if you get my drift."

"Any particular reason?" Lawrence asked, turning his head to take a quick look in through the window at the guard who was half-asleep at his (dry, warm, _indoor_ ) desk – and who looked to be off in his own little world, occasionally writing something on the papers strewn out before him.

The young man threw up his hands and shook his head. "Couldn't say. Paranoid, I guess." He brought one hand up to rub at his chin and gave Lawrence, Holo and their cart a once over. "You don't look much like florists."

The statement came so out of the blue it might as well have been a hawk diving down from the heavens to strike an unsuspecting mouse. "We're not," Lawrence managed to say after a few seconds of blinking and repeating the words inside of his head.

The young man nodded, as if he'd just gotten the answer to a riddle. "Then I'd advice you not to waste too much time in this town. Leave as soon as the rain lets up. Only reason I come here, is because the Duke pays well for exotic flower seeds." He gestured at a small bag that hung at his belt. "That's all you'll get any winnings from here."

"We'll take that into consideration, thank you kind sir," Holo said before Lawrence could as much as mumble something in reply. "And now, I do believe it's finally our turn to enter."

The sleepy guard reached out through the small window and handed Lawrence and Holo a bunch of papers. "Proceed," he said in the tone of a man who's said the exact same words far too many times in one day and the gate opened to let them through.

With a last glance at the young man still waiting for his papers, Lawrence urged the horse forward. They had an inn to get to.

The streets were surprisingly busy for such lousy weather. There was a small market open near the town gates, its stalls stacked full of everything from food to trinkets and each with a salesman that look about as soaked and cold as Lawrence felt.

"We'll stop here and ask for directions," he said to Holo and jumped down from the cart, grimacing as he splashed up a fair amount of mud.

"Do you think they have any apples?" Holo said, her eyes brightening.

Hidden under the hood of his cloak, Lawrence rolled his eyes at her, before turning to the nearest vendor, a man his own age dressed in clothes that had seen better days. "Excuse me, do you-"

The vendor's eyes widened almost comically. "Lawrence!"

"Allan!" Lawrence's face split in a grin. "I hardly recognized you! What's in been, five years?"

"Seven, I should think," the vendor – Allan – replied and reached out to shake his hand. "My, this is quite the coincidence! What can I do for you?"

Lawrence's was sure his grin looked quite sheepish. "I was just going to ask for directions to the nearest inn. My companion and I have been traveling in this horrible weather for three days now and would very much like to lie down and rest before we do any business."

Allan peaked over Lawrence's shoulder and gave Holo a big smile. "Ah yes, understandable. There is one just at the end of the main road – it should have some empty rooms."

"Thank you," Lawrence said and was about to turn around, when Allan said: "It's been so long since we last saw each other, you really must come to dinner!"

Lawrence froze in his tracks. "You really don't have to..."

"I insist!" Allan said, all smiles. "I have a few hours left to work, but after that I'll come get you at the inn and show you the way to my house. It's not often we have the chance to entertain guests, so it'll only be a pleasure."

There was something decidedly off about the way Lawrence moved as he turned around to face Allan again. "Well, then it will be our pleasure as well."

And with another nod and a smile, they bade goodbye to one another. If Holo saw how white Lawrence's knuckles were as he gripped the reins, she made no comment.

****

Allan's house was, if one was to be completely frank, little more than a hovel at the edge of town. There were four children there, all dressed in hand-me-downs that looked old and threadbare enough to have belonged to their grandparents. Allan's wife, Doreen, was a little better off in the clothing department, though not by much – she simply looked like she'd inherited her dress from her mother.

The dinner consisted of cabbage soup and awkward small talk. The children kept staring at both Lawrence and Holo (though mostly Holo and mostly her dress) and hardly said a word, while Allan kept up a conversation that was more of a monologue, painting up a quite colorful picture of his past days as a traveling salesman, with Doreen smiling patiently and laughing at appropriate places.

"...and that's how I got back from the great woods in one piece." Allan ended the story with a flourishing gesture.

"That was quite a tale," Holo said, lacing her fingers together and resting her elbows on the table. "But you haven't told us how you and Lawrence know each other. Did you meet while traveling?"

Quite a lot of color washed out of Lawrence's cheeks. "Eh, that's not a very interesting story I'm afraid, I'm sure-"

Allan's wide smile had gotten a quite wooden quality to it, the strain of keeping it in place looking almost painful. "Y-yes, it's not all that interesting, not at all. We simply did some business with each other, quite some time ago. It would bore the poor children."

Holo rested her chin on her hands and gave a smile that was very polite but also very shrewd.

"Speaking of the children," Doreen cut in, "I really should put them to bed. Come along girls!"

"You seem to have done quite well for yourself," Allan said once the children and Doreen had ascended the rickety ladder to the upper part of the, for lack of better word, house.

Lawrence rubbed the back of his neck and gave another smile that would have made any sheep proud. "Ah, well, you know..."

"Got yourself quite the lovely partner too. I'm almost jealous." Allan gave Holo a wink, and got an amused laugh in return, as well as a glare from Lawrence. "Sorry, I couldn't resist. I still think my Doreen is lovelier. Apologies, my lady."

"No offense taken," Holo said. "What is your trade nowadays, by the way? I didn't have a chance to see your wares."

Allan's expression darkened, his smiling fading to a mere ghost of the grin he'd been wearing all evening. "I sell what the Duke wants me to sell. That's pretty much it I'm afraid."

"Oh?"

"You must have heard of him," Allan said, placing his cup of hot tea on the table with more force than was strictly necessary. "He owns the entire town and half the people in it."

Lawrence gritted his teeth, which Holo paid no mind to. "I noticed your wife had a quite beautiful medallion around her neck. Do you sell those?"

The laugh Allan gave was gruff and a little sad. "No, but I do wish. That's a citizen's medallion. They're part of the coming of age ceremony all children around here go through when they turn sixteen."

Lawrence crossed his arms over his chest and very pointedly didn't look at anyone. Holo tilted her head to the side. "So...?"

"Where mine is?" Allan smirked, sounding more amused than offended.

"If you don't mind telling," Holo said with a polite smile.

Allan's gaze turned to focus on the lukewarm remains of his tea. "The Duke's got it."

Holo's eyes were more on Lawrence than on Allan as she got this answer. "I'm terribly sorry to hear that."

Another gruff laugh. "I'm hardly a lone victim. Bastard's got half the traders in town wrapped around his little finger that way. They say he's even got a glass case with the medallions of every indentured servant in his employment displayed in the dining hall of his mansion."

He gulped down the last of his tea and made a face somewhere between annoyed and embarrassed. "But don't worry about it! We're quite a few who're working off our debts together and whatever else the man might be, he's not a thief or a liar. If we can get back our property in a legal manner, we'll be free men again. It'll just take a little time."

"I see." Holo's gaze was still on Lawrence, who was studying the far wall like it held the clue to a lucrative sale. "Then a toast, to your expedient victory!"

The rest of the dinner was conducted in silence.

****

Holo was the first to speak once they'd returned to the inn. "What's bothering you?"

Lawrence gave a weak laugh, his eyes fully focused on the tunic he was folding. "It's nothing."

"It's something and don't even try to say otherwise." She gestured at her ears. "I can tell."

No answer. Lawrence simply continued folding his clothes, his shoulders squared as if bracing for a punch or a slap to the back of the head.

Holo heaved a sigh and made herself comfortable on her bed, munching on an apple she'd wheedled out of the inn keeper. "I know you too well, so don't even try to pretend everything's fine. Just say it and get it over with, no beating around the bush!"

Lawrence flinched. After several deep breaths, he finally said: "It's my fault."

"What is?"

Lawrence's shoulders sagged. "Allan's life."

"He's hardly your illegitimate child, so I'm going to assume you had a hand in him losing his medallion." Holo took another bite of her apple in the same manner of a wolf ripping the throat of a felled deer. "How?"

Cradling his face in his hands, Lawrence sank down to sit on his bed. "We heard of an investment in coal that was rumored to be very rewarding and since we knew each other fairly well, we were young and stupid enough to band together and pay to get in on this 'investment'."

"A scam." It wasn't a question.

Lawrence chuckled, the sound muffled by the palms of his hands. "As I said, we were young and stupid."

"And apparently you were pretty persuasive." Holo scarfed down the last of the apple, leaving the core on the bedside table.

This time, Lawrence nodded before answering: "He said it was important, but never _how_ important. I just assumed it was a family heirloom. I had no idea-"

"How far would you be willing to go, to help him?" Holo asked, stretching and yawning.

More silence. Lawrence stared down at his hands for a good minute. Then: "He has children."

Holo nodded and smile. "I believe I have a plan."

****

"It's of utmost importance that we speak to the Duke, at once!"

The servant who'd answered the door looked utterly perplexed and Lawrence couldn't blame him; faced with what looked to be a girl of sixteen dressed in clothes that were fine, but nowhere near the standards of a noblewoman, making such demands, any servant of any duke would have been unsure of how to react.

"I'm afraid he's having dinner at the moment, madam," the servant said, but didn't put up much of a fight as Holo pushed the door open wider and stepped inside, Lawrence close on her heels.

Holo held her head high and made her way through the halls, looking like she knew exactly where she was going. "Don't worry, my good man. The Duke will be so thrilled when he finds out what we have brought him that I'm sure he'll commend you for letting us enter."

She threw open a pair of very decorative doors and they entered a dining hall that was full of ornaments and paintings with frames as expensive as the images themselves. There were a good number of noblemen seated around the table in the middle of the room, who all gave Holo, Lawrence and the servant looks of pure, pompous affront.

"What's the meaning of this?" the man at the head of the table asked, looking slightly put off.

"Looks like we're in luck," Holo whispered to Lawrence, giving a subtle nod toward a glass showcase by the far wall. It contained rows upon rows of medallions, all with small notes attached to their chains. She quickly raised her voice after that and said: "This pouch, your grace."

All eyes in the room turned to a small, silk pouch Holo was holding aloft.

"You're here to sell me something."

Holo nodded and Lawrence did his best to keep a calm face. "We've heard a great deal about your interest in rare flowers and we have something we think your grace will find most interesting."

A light lit in the Duke's eyes and a hush fell over the room. "Proceed."

"There are some conditions for the seeds this bag contains." Holo held up a hand, making the few noblemen still whispering among themselves fall quiet.

Doing his best to appear inconspicuous, Lawrence walked over to the showcase. He read the labels as calmly as he could, ignoring the dark glares some of the men sitting closest to the case were giving him.

"Conditions?" the Duke said, the glint in his eyes still there, though a little dulled. "I don't take kindly to people who come into my house and start making demands, young lady."

Holo gave a laugh that was both refined and mocking. "I'm not the one making the demands – the seeds are. And if you're not interested in them, we'll just take them to the next city."

The Duke gave a huff and leaned back in his high-backed chair. "Very well. What are your demands?"

Holo caught Lawrence's eye and he gave her a nod. She gave the Duke a smile that was sugar and spice mixed into one. "There's a man living in your town that owes us some money. We will trade you these seeds for his medallion. The seeds are also quite delicate, so this pouch should be opened somewhere a little warmer and brighter than this room."

A grin spread over the Duke's face, like a cat that just had gotten the canary. "Fair enough."

Drawing up the contract took less time than Lawrence had thought it would – and he held his breath all the way through.

They left the room as quickly as possible, without making it obvious that was what they were doing.

****

"I don't know how to thank you!" Allan was positively crying with happiness. He was gripping the medallion so tightly his fingers had to be aching.

Lawrence held up his hands in a placating gesture. "Please..."

"You must come inside," Doreen said, her face split in a smile bright enough to light a room. "The least we can do for you is offer you another meal."

Holo spoke up before Allan could say anything in addition to this: "Thank you, but we really should get going!"

"Yes, yes, we really should," Lawrence said, nodding.

And that was when the large crowd of people turned the corner of the street, following the Duke, mounted on a horse that looked just as angry and threatening as him.

Lawrence exchanged a look with Holo. Taking a deep breath, he took a step back and let Holo take center stage.

The Duke brought his horse to a halt right in front of Allan and Doreen's house. He threw a very familiar pouch onto the ground at Holo's feet, spreading seeds everywhere. Holo merely lifted an eyebrow at this and crossed her arms over her chest. "Yes?"

"These," the Duke said, his voice dripping poison, "are sunflower seeds."

"Indeed they are."

"You have cheated me and I am here to hand you over to the proper authorities. But first you're going to return my property to me."

There were no traces left of Allan and Doreen's happy smiles.

Holo, calm as a lake on a windless day, uncrossed her arms and unrolled a scroll of paper she'd been keeping in one of her sleeves. She held it up for all to see. "This is my copy of the contract we both signed last night, is this correct?"

"Yes," the Duke answered, dismounting and tearing it out of her hands. "It'll be excellent evidence against you."

"I'm afraid not." Holo gestured at the contract. "See, according to this, you traded that medallion for the contents of the pouch. Those," she gestured at the sunflower seeds, spread out over the ground, "were the contents of the pouch and I never claimed it to be any other kind of seeds. You were the one who failed to specify the trade further."

If Lawrence hadn't been doing his best not to have a heart attack, he would have laughed.

The Duke's face rapidly changed color to beet red."Give me back that medallion!" he bellowed, pointing at Allan, like a toddler deprived of a favored toy.

"But it's legally ours now," Holo said, the very picture of calm, "and the great Duke of Sadreche wouldn't go against the law, would he now? Reclaiming property that doesn't belong to you would be such a black mark on your record."

A wave of muttering and humming swept through the crowd, the gathered people giving each other very meaningful looks, before turning all their attention on the Duke.

"You said the seeds needed a warm environment and bright light to survive," the Duke said, balling his hands into fists. "Clearly trickery!"

"No," Holo said, "I simply say it would be advisable to open the pouch at a later time, in better conditions. It was not a demand and not part of the contract. You just assumed."

The crowd fell silent. The Duke gritted his teeth.

Then: "Take it. Take the cursed thing! But for playing this foul trick on me, you are hereby banished from this town for the rest of your lives. Go!"

They couldn't have been out of there faster if they'd so gotten the horse to run.

As soon as they were out of earshot, Holo began laughing and soon Lawrence joined in. They laughed until they were out of breath and out of the town. Ahead of them lay an open road and blue skies.

"At least it's stopped raining."

"Don't jinx it."


End file.
